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ISBN-13: 978-0-618-75877-7 ISBN-10: 0-618-75877-1 123456789 GS 15 1413 1211 1009 08 07 06A Drop of ater by Linda Fillmore RY HOUGHTON MIFFLIN BOSTONContents ~ Water on Earth. 3 ‘Traveling with a Drop of Water J Evaporation ...........+4- 6 8 9 Condensation and Clouds Precipitation ai Infiltration and Ground Water ..............65+ 10 ‘The Water Cycle ssaneucsoneis & wenuneeenet 12 Water Storage. . GlossaryWater on Earth ~ Water. We drink it, wash with it, and swim in it. We use it to wash our hair, the car, and the dog. There is no getting away from water. In fact, up to 60 percent of the human body is water. Some organisms are 90 percent water. Living cells are full of water. Without it, they would die. Although water is so important, we tend to take it for granted. After all, pure water isn’t very exciting. It is colorless, odorless, and tasteless. Have you ever wondered where water comes from when it rushes into your bathtub? Or where it goes when you pull the plug? How many ways do you use water?tribution of Earths Water Fresh Water 3% Other 0.9% — surface Rivers 2% = Water uml == - Earth’s Water ~~ Fresh Water Fresh Surface Water About 75 percent of Earth’s surface is covered by water. Most of this surface water is in oceans. It is too salty to drink. Other water, called ground water, lies below Earth’s surface. Even the air contains water, which we feel as humidity. Water on Earth moves from one place to another. As water moves, it changes form. Water can be a solid (ice), a liquid (water), or a gas (water vapor). ‘The way water moves around Earth is called the water cycle. The process is a cycle because it has no beginning or end. And there is more than one path. You'll find out why as you read this book.Traveling with au Drop of Water ~ Let’s take a trip through Earth’s water cycle. ‘To help you understand the journey, we’ll follow one molecule of water. There are billions of water molecules on Earth. Most of them have been around for a long, long time. This water molecule was here on Earth long before the dinosaurs. For millions of years, it has been moving through the water cycle. So let’s get going. First stop: the ocean. A WATER MOLECULE A water molecule is made up of two atoms of hydrogen and one atom of oxygen. Its chemical formula is H20. A slight charge on the atoms in a water molecule causes Negative End (-) water molecules to attract each other. This ‘Oxygen attraction causes the molecules to stick to each other to Hydrogen form droplets. Positive End (+)‘ Evaporation ~ The molecule of water we are following happens to be near the surface of the ocean, where it “sticks” together with other water molecules. The molecules don’t have enough energy to break apart. At the ocean’s surface, the Sun heats the water molecules. As the molecules heat, their energy increases. Eventually, they have enough energy to break free of each other. As they break apart, the molecules change from a liquid into a gas, called water vapor. The water vapor rises into the air. This process of changing from a liquid into a gas is called evaporation. Evaporation takes place all the time in every part of Earth. Evaporation from the oceans carries water from Earth’s surface into the atmosphere. This same process takes place over all bodies of water — over oceans, lakes, rivers, and streams. Ninety percent of all water in the atmosphere comes from evaporation. The remaining 10 percent of the water in Earth’s atmosphere is the result of transpiration. Transpiration is the release of water vapor from the leaves of plants. This process is important because it helps return water trapped in the soil to the water cycle. Water enters Earth's atmosphere through evaporation. >After the liquid water changes into water vapor, winds carry it toward land. Once there, warm air currents carry the water vapor into the atmosphere. As the water vapor moves higher and higher, temperatures cool. The molecules of water vapor cool and lose energy. If conditions in the atmosphere are right, the water molecules form clouds. Clouds are made of trillions of water droplets. Cloud droplets can be as small as a millionth of a meter or as large as 5 millimeters. Clouds might look soft and fluffy, but they can be as heavy as a jumbo jet. If tiny bits of salt, dust, and smoke are in the air, the water vapor droplets will grab onto them. They will change from water vapor back into liquid again. This change from water vapor —a gas — into liquid is called condensation. Air currents move clouds all over Earth. A drop of water that enters the atmosphere in the Pacific Ocean could end up in a cloud over Europe! called snowflakes. Notice that no matter the Water in a cloud can be frozen into crystals / shape, each snowflake has six branches. > §8 Precipitation ell As water droplets combine and grow in a cloud, precipitation may happen. Precipitation is water in liquid or solid form that falls from a cloud. Rain, sleet, snow, and hail are all forms of precipitation. Water in clouds is constantly evaporating and condensing. Most of the water that condenses in clouds does not fall to Earth because the droplets are so small that updrafts keep pushing them upward. For precipitation to fall, water droplets must grow large enough to overcome the upward force of the updraft. One way droplets grow is by bumping into and combining with each other. If temperatures in a cloud are below freezing, the drops change into snowflakes.Infiltration and Ground Water ~ Remember that molecule of water we were following? It has now changed into snow, and it has fallen into a field. As the day grows warmer, the snow in the field melts. The water molecule begins a slow journey down into soil and rocks. This process is called infiltration. Eventually the water ends up in an underground aquifer. An aquifer is a natural layer of underground rock that holds water. Some aquifers are very large. The ground water in an aquifer can stay there for thousands of years. Aquifers are an important source of fresh water for people. Where will the water go next? It might stay in the aquifer for a long time. Eventually it might be drawn up into the water pipes of a house. It might end up in a glass of water, or be dumped down into a sewer. From the sewer, the water probably would travel to a river and then back to the ocean.Suppose the water went into a family’s garden hose and then into a lawn sprinkler. Some water would land on the grass. But what if the drop of water we’re following landed on a driveway? It might roll down the driveway into the street and rush along a curb. Then it might run into a storm sewer in the street. A long, whirlwind journey might take the water molecule to a small creek. In the creek, other water molecules join together. The creek flows into a larger river that flows into a lake. Some of the lake water is used by farmers to irrigate their crops. Even more water is used to cool electrical equipment. Other water molecules end up in a town’s water tank. Some of the water takes a return trip to people’s houses for use in drinking, cooking, washing dishes, or watering plants.The Water Cycle ~ Freshwater storage Water storage ~ in ground : e‘This diagram can help you remember the many ways that water moves through the water cycle. Transpiration EvaporationWater Storage ~ Is all the water on Earth constantly moving? No. In fact, the opposite is true. At any given time, more water is resting than moving. Most of the stored water lies deep in Earth’s oceans. Other water is stored in glaciers and icecaps. A glacier is a large mass of slow- moving ice. An icecap is a covering of ice over a large area such as Antarctica. Almost all of Earth’s frozen water is in Antarctica. The glaciers on Earth are thousands of years old. ‘They were formed at a time when Earth’s climate was much colder than it is today. During the last ice age, glaciers covered almost a third of Earth. The oceans were about 400 feet lower than they are today. As Earth's climate has gotten warmer, the glaciers have melted. Most of the frozen water stored in the glaciers returned to the oceans. A lot of water is also stored in Earth’s soil and underground. Remember when the drop of water went underground to the aquifer? The water there moves very slowly. Aquifers can store huge amounts of water. Where is the molecule of water now? Is it still in the lake? Has it been pumped back again into someone’s house? Has it evaporated into water vapor? Look outside and decide for yourself!1 Tee R ice aU cca <GLOSSARY aquifer an underground layer of rock that holds water cloud a large group of tiny water droplets or ice crystals in the atmosphere condensation the process in which water vapor changes to liquid water evaporation the process in which water molecules in liquid water escape into the air as water vapor glacier a large mass of moving ice ground water water that fills the spaces in underground soil and rocks humidity water vapor in the air icecap a covering of ice over large areas of Earth infiltration the downward movement of water from Earth’s surface into soil or rock precipitation water that falls from clouds to Earth’s surface surface water water found on Earth’s surface updraft a current of air that flows upward water cycle the movement of water on, in, and above Earth water vapor the gaseous form of waterResponding Think About What You Have Read HN What is evaporation? What are three places where Earth’s water is stored? Why don’t all water droplets fall from clouds? QA If 75 percent of Earth is covered by water, why is conserving water important? Activity Model how underground water is stored. Place some pebbles in a clear plastic jar to make a layer about 2 inches deep. ‘Then add a sand layer that is about 1 inch deep. Sprinkle water on the sand to represent “rainfall.” Observe the path of the water through the layers. Write a paragraph describing what you observe.Earth Science: The Water Cycle AY HOUGHTON MIFFLIN